


A Different Kind of Green

by Somnios



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Red Hood Lost Days, Alternate Universe - A Different Mentor, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Jason deals with his death, Mentioned Bruce Wayne, No Bata we die like mne
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-07 04:57:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20303824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Somnios/pseuds/Somnios
Summary: Instead of being taken in by Talia after crawling out from his coffin, Jason is taken in by Poison Ivy.





	A Different Kind of Green

Mint and basil, that was the first thing that registered. 

Then came the panic.

Jason Peter Todd had died buried under rubble, in the wreckage of an exploded warehouse. He choked on his own blood, a collapsed chest tended to do that for a person. Batman never made it.

Then he woke up under ground, trapped in his own casket. A mahogany monstrosity that shattered his fingers, and tore off his nails. He nearly died again, drowned in the worm filled mud. He tore his way out and stumbled away from his grave, from there on out he only remembered two bright lights. 

He had died.

Jason had _ died _ and Batman never came.

_ Bruce _ never came.

He was alone, so alone.

“Jason you're okay,” her voice was as sweet as the fingers running through his hair. Long fingered hands with long sharp nails scraping comfortingly aginst his scalp.

He opened his mouth, dry lips cracking. No sound came out. He couldn’t even speak. 

“Jason it’s okay, your system’s still catching up. I’m sorry, it was the only way I could save you. With the damage that clown did, and the car… you’re lucky the Green knew who you were, and alerted me as soon as you were above the grass so to speak,” The fingers stopped moving, “Can you feel it?”

He could feel it.

He could feel it _ all _ of it. The withering grass on the front lawns of lower class neighborhoods, to the brilliant and well pruned flower boxes of the Diamond district, and the plants in the park all around them. He could feel them stretch towards the sun. The soft, wet, cold earth around each and every root. 

Jason could feel it.

He’d never felt anything like this before. 

“Jay, Jason do you feel it?”

He could even feel her. To be honest, it was kinda hard to miss her. Ivy, she was practically a beacon. 

Jason first met Poison Ivy when he was a street kid.

His mom loved to grow mint and basil, and when Catherine died Jason hadn’t known what to do with the herbs. He was terrified when he walked into the park, the underground was in an uproar about her presence there. Drug trade stuff, and good riddance to that, Jason had thought at the time. He wanted to make sure that his Mom’s plants were with the right person, someone who would be able to take care of them. Poison Ivy definitely would do that. So Jay marshaled his 11 year old courage, wrapped the pots in a blanket, and marched into the park. Ivy met him on one of the paths. They talked for a bit, and she had taken in his mother’s herbs.

She had been gentle with him as Robin, and now she had saved him.

She had connected him to The Green.

..oo00OO00oo..

It was weird, living with Ivy. 

They had sort of developed a routine. In the mourning to heal him (because not even The Green could instantly heal shattered bones and crushed organs) Ivy put him at the edge of a pond, little grape vines holding his face above the water, and let him soak up the sun. With all the chlorophyll in his skin, he was getting more energy than he had experienced before in his 16 years. 

Then around noon, Ivy would come out and sun baith with him, she’d bring out what amounted to Tomato feed, and they’d snack in the midday sun.

Once the sun went down, they’d go into the shed that she lived in. To call it a shed really didn’t explain it, it was more like a lab, green house, storage facility that was (_ shocker _) filled with plants. At first, she’d mostly work in the lab section, but as time went on, mostly as Jason got more antsy about doing absolutely nothing but sit in a pool all day, they’d talk more. She’d first started by teaching him botany . . . and once she realized that he loved literature, she . . . borrowed some books from the library, and various rich people who let things on the porch.

She'd brought him all sorts of information, and it was like a really green home school that mostly focused on how humans are ruining the planet.

His body . . . well that was another thing entirely. His skin was green, his lips were green, everything was green (except his hair witch oddly enough turned bright read with this little white patch at the front where the clown had hit especially hard), and everything was broken. His body was in tatters. Even with all the sun baths, his body was healing slowly. To be honest, most days he couldn’t even stand up on his own, and had to rely on the plants and Ivy to get him to where he wanted to go.

Jason wanted to get back to Bruce. If he had ever known the man, B would be in tatters after his death. He was Batman’s _ partner. _ Even more than that he was Bruce’s son. But with all that _ especially _because of all that, he hadn’t quite figured out how to explain any of this to Alfred much less Bruce.

He’d tried bringing up Bruce with Ivy, but she’d shut him down almost as fast as he could bring it up.

The first time it’d come up she’d said, “I know Bruce Wayne is Batman, but he’s human trash, so I’m not going to talk about him,” and that was that.

But the fact of the matter was, he needed to get back to Bruce.

Batman needs Robin. Bruce needed Jason.

..oo00OO00oo..

Jason was practically whole now. He could walk. He could talk. Jason could do all the things a toddler could do.

It was time to see Bruce.

With a cane of living wood, a trench coat, and a wide brimmed hat, Jason was prepared. He knew that he looked . . . different. Not only was he green, but he had lost most of his baby fat, and grew a couple inches. He looked like a different person. But that was okay, he was still himself. He was still _ Jason _. Bruce was still a detective. He could figure it out. It would be fine.

Jason couldn't figure out how to begin this conversation. _ Hi,Bruce, I know you think I’ve been dead for a year, but it’s only been six months in the ground then six months with Ivy _. Probably not the best way to start. 

Jason was almost out of the park, only a few more trees, and then he’d be officially in Gotham. Now the hard part, or easy enough if you were Jason: Finding Batman. 

Jason reached out into The Green. He could feel what was happening to the living plants through the city, he just had to find the right one...There! Batman, only three blocks away.

Jason hobbled through the city

He couldn't wait to see Bruce again, and Alfred. God, he’d missed Alfred. Batman would find him, and they’d go to the Cave. All the blood tests would run, proving Jason to be himself with a bit extra. There’d be a tearful reunion. Jason would apologize for not listening to Batman and going to help Shelia. It’ll be great. He’ll cool with Alfred, and hunt for first edition books with Bruce. Maybe Dick would even stop living up to his name. 

Jason . . . couldn’t . . . wait. . .

There was Batman.

There was Robin.

Bright yellow cape standing out against the Gotham skyline. Smiling up at Batman. Green pants, red tunic, domino mask, and that distinctive R. 

But it couldn’t be Robin. _ Jason _ is Robin. That should be Jason up there, not that _ impostor. _

He hobbled home in a daze. Ivy was waiting for him by the door.

Jason clung to his crush, falling back against its solid weight, “How long?”

“He appeared six months ago. I don’t know how long he was training before that. He was pretty weak when confronting Harvey, so it couldn’t have been much longer than that.”

He’d been dead six months when Batman took in a new Robin. That’s okay, maybe he just needed some back up. Dick would have never left Bludhaven, but . . . , “And the Clown?”

“Batman and Robin took him back to Arkham last night. I’m sorry, Jay.”

..oo00OO00oo..

“I need to go.” 

“And where exactly would you go, Jason?” 

“I don’t know, anywhere. I - I just can’t escape _ him _ here. I know you’ve got that deal with Harley about the clown, but I just can’t stay. They’re in that death dance and it’s getting everyone around them killed. I just can’t watch it anymore.”

“You don’t have to watch it from the park.”

“I know, and I love it here.”

“... but?" 

“I died and nothing changed. My _ life _ meant _ nothing _, to any of them! I just - I need to go. I’ll make sure to send you messages whenever I can. Do you still have a PO box?”

“Yes”

“Why do you even have a PO box anyways?”

“Ordering fertilizer, none for the Gotham companies will sell it to me anymore.”

“...”

“Jay?”

“Yeah?”

“Take care of yourself.”


End file.
